GIRLS WATER POLO: Palos Verdes outlasts Mira Costa in 4 ovetimes

Those early mornings. Those long swims. The draining conditioning sessions.

It was all for a moment like this.

Palos Verdes' Kirsten Gargas mustered every last ounce of energy, sprinted down the pool and scored the decisive goal in sudden death to help PV prevail in a grueling 9-8 quadruple-overtime victory over Mira Costa on Monday to open the Bay League.

It seemed like Gargas and the Sea Kings had plenty in reserve.

"It felt good. All that hard work and training we've put in paid off," Gargas said.

PV's tenacious defense also was on full display throughout the match. And its defense usually resulted in quick counter attacks.

The best example was when Tara Leeds made a steal, then Leeds made a great outlet pass to Gargas, who scored her third goal.

"I saw my teammate get the ball, and I heard my coach yelling, `Go, go, go.' The adrenaline was pumping and I went as fast as I could," Gargas said. "My teammate made a great pass and I really don't remember much after that.

The PV defense allowed Mira Costa only one shot in the two sudden-death overtime periods.

"Defense was crucial in this game," PV senior Ellie D'Ambra said. "We spent a lot of hours training and we showed a lot of heart. And it matters when you play in sudden death."

Mira Costa used a spectacular goal by Kelly Giery to force overtime but often looked stagnant against PV's hard-nosed defense. It held the ball for long periods of time without much ball movement.

Mira Costa coach Jon Reichardt attributed it to the three-week layoff between games.

"We'd swim and train, but we have not really had a chance to play such a physical team like PV," Reichardt said. "Plus I didn't sub that much.

"We made a few mistakes, and they capitalized. But it's still early. Our ultimate goal is in six weeks. This is just a step."

Giery's shot was nothing short of spectacular.

Mira Costa had called a timeout with 19 seconds left in regulation needing to score a goal. Giery got the ball, held it and drew a foul with two seconds left. Immediately after the whistle blew, she floated a long-distance lob and found the back corner of the net to force overtime.

"That was just a great shot," Reichardt said.

D'Ambra scored with 1:50 left in the second overtime period for an 8-7 lead, but Mira Costa again forged a tie when Jordan Raney converted her second 5-meter penalty shot after missing her first attempt in the third quarter. Raney and Giery each had three goals.

After the second overtime, the match became a sudden-death affair. As the match went on, the Sea Kings appeared to tighten up their defense.

"Our girls work a ton on our defense. It's what this team is built on," PV coach Pat O'Brien said. "It was good to see the defense step up and flex its muscle."

Gargas and D'Ambra each had three goals. Kate Roan scored twice. Emma Noble also scored.

Goalkeeper Carley Radov, who recently got her ears pierced, had her ear yanked hard when she went out to contend a close-range shot. She finished with 10 saves.

"We have a motto: positive attitude leads to winning games, and that really helps," Radov said.